


Sweet As Honey

by ches_writes



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Basically inspired by the Honeybee Inn scene in the remake, Bottom Cloud Strife, Cloud works at the Honeybee Inn, Dancer Cloud Strife, Fluff and Humor, Love at First Sight, M/M, Top Zack Fair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:34:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24254440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ches_writes/pseuds/ches_writes
Summary: Falling for a stranger with spiky blond hair and bright blue eyes wasn't exactly what Zack expected out of a night out with his SOLDIER buddies but he definitely wasn't complaining.
Relationships: Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Comments: 14
Kudos: 232





	Sweet As Honey

**Author's Note:**

> Playing the remake threw me right back into a FFVII/Clack hole that I haven't been in since 2013, and that's how this fic also came to be.
> 
> While this fic is set in the canon world, don't take it too seriously. I kind of used details from different games as I pleased so it's not exactly accurate in terms of canon, especially considering the timeline. :D
> 
> Also, this isn't beta read and my first language isn't English, so I apologize for any typos or weird grammar!

It took six whole months after Zack had become a First Class SOLDIER until he received his first big mission. After the Wutai War had ended, it had gone pretty quiet on the mission front. Aside from getting rid of the last Wutai rebels that had been protesting the peace, the First Class SOLDIERs barely got sent anywhere, as Shinra was opting for using the lower classes for the less important missions.

Before the mission Zack had almost been in a slump, getting impatient with nothing but training, training, and more training day after day. It was refreshing to get out of the Shinra Headquarters, and Midgar, and kicking some monster ass gave Zack’s confidence a big boost. He was pleased to see that he even got into the news this time, for the first time since he had made it to First Class.

Even though Zack didn’t become a SOLDIER for the fame, it still felt nice to be appreciated.

Upon returning back to Midgar, Kunsel and Luxiere announced that they were taking Zack out to town in order to celebrate his first big mission. Zack had no choice but to accept the ‘offer’ considering that he was dismissed for the next day so no one was going to miss him if he was out all night or slept in in the morning. He did have his suspicions of possibly getting kidnapped by the two if he were to turn them down anyway so it was just better to agree straight away.

So that was how Zack ended up in Wall Market for the first time in his life. He had heard the rumors of the place, everyone had, and upon stepping through the gates Zack had to conclude that the rumors didn’t measure up to the real thing. The narrow streets were crowded with barely enough space to pass through in their small group, which consisted of a few more SOLDIERs in addition to the two idiots Zack considered his best friends. Neon lights advertising the local establishments covered pretty much every possible surface, and there were probably more scantily dressed guys and girls in themed costumes that Zack had ever seen before.

“Here we are!” Kunsel announced, bringing the group into a halt outside of the bar of his choice.

‘THE HONEYBEE INN’ read in big letters above the door and Zack lifted his brow at the bee costumes that the employees seemed to be wearing. “Bees?” he said out loud in a doubtful tone of voice while his eyes scanned over one of the girls from head to toe. The costume was pretty revealing, even more so than what most of the girls in the Wall Market were wearing, and there was a huge stinger attached to the girl’s behind. Zack had to admit that he was enjoying the view, even if it was a little tacky. 

It didn’t compare to the male counterpart of the costume, however. There was no weird stingers, and rather than showing just skin for the sake of it, it was tailored to fit the guy’s body just perfectly. Zack definitely wouldn’t have minded to get a chance to peel off that costume layer by layer, driving a guy mad by teasing him.

...So maybe Zack got the charm of the bee costumes after all, and maybe it had been longer since his last sexual encounter than he had thought.

“Oh, right! Isn’t this place famous or something? Don’t you have to get an appointment weeks in advance if you want to meet any of the popular Honeybees one-on-one? Their show’s get always sold out, too!” Luxiere commented.

Kunsel smirked mischievously as he nodded. “Yep, and I got us a table reserved at tonight’s show through some connections. You can show me your appreciation by paying for my drinks tonight.” He started leading their group towards the entrance, exchanging a few words with the bouncer before they were let inside.

The tacky theme continued even inside, with the bees, yellow-black color scheme, and the endless supply of half naked girls and way too sexy guys for Zack’s own good. At least the room with the whole main stage was dimly lit so the garish decorations didn’t catch his eyes as hard.

They had drinks in hand almost as soon as they were shown to their table, and a few Honeygirls seated in between them to keep the guys entertained. Maybe Zack’s lack of enthusiasm for the girls was apparent to everyone but at least he didn’t have any girls trying to suck up to him or grope his muscles through his shirt as he had only Luxiere sitting to his right, and the poor guy seemed to be completely enamored by the girl who was slowly massaging his chest up and down.

Zack nursed on his beer in his own peace, with all of his friends distracted with the girls, until the lights began to dim slowly to signal the start of the show. Two bright spotlights illuminated the stage and an upbeat song started blasting from the speakers while Honeybees began flooding the stage. Some of them even moved amongst the tables, one of the girls caressing Zack’s arm as she passed him. Shivers ran down his back and his eyes followed after her before drawing back towards the stage.

The show was definitely extravagant, with the Honeybees on stage doing flips and splits as part of the choreography. It just looked flawlessly effortless, which definitely impressed Zack considering that he was pretty much born with two left feet and no talents when it came to dancing whatsoever.

The dancers around the room had a lot more toned down moves, but then again doing any kinds of tricks in the middle of the tables would have been more than hazardous. And it didn’t mean that Zack didn’t appreciate the choreography, he was more than enjoying it when his eyes spotted one guy just as he was about to bend over, and those black slacks stretched around his round ass in just the right way.

The guy slowly straightened himself again, back arching in a way that brought out the ass even more. Zack couldn’t believe that he was getting this turned on and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

Spiky blond hair came into view, the pink and red lights used in the show reflecting onto the soft strands. Just by looking at his back Zack could tell that the guy was lean and slender, with a surprisingly small waist for a guy. Maybe it was the alcohol slowly starting to buzz in his system but he started wondering what it would be like putting his hands on that waist, pressing his hardening cock against such a perfect ass.

It was probably about time that Zack got laid for a change.

And then the Honeyboy turned around and the sight of a pair of blue eyes took Zack’s breath away. The color seemed to be bright enough to rival even Mako-filled eyes of the SOLDIERs.

The guy seemed to falter the second his gaze fell on their group. He stumbled over his next move, legs tangling into each other and making him almost fall over. Zack couldn’t say for certain, especially with the colorful lights, but he was pretty sure he saw the poor guy’s cheeks turn bright red as he fixed himself, resuming with the dancing like nothing had happened.

Zack wondered what it had been that made the Honeyboy mess up like that, even if it was for a moment. He was most definitely looking towards their group. The first and the most obvious choice would have been if he would have been surprised by SOLDIERs being in the slums but they were all wearing civilian clothes, and even their eyes didn’t come out _that_ bright to show off the Mako in this lighting. Not to mention Zack was the only First Class out of all of them, and he was far from getting a fan club when he had been on the news only two times so far.

Still, the guy seemed to be glancing in their direction at every chance he got, and maybe, just maybe, their eyes met for a moment.

Of course it could have been just Zack’s imagination. He was undeniably attracted to the guy, basically he was just his type, but his drunken brain could have been playing tricks on him. There was always the possibility that the guy was just doing his job and sending looks to a possible victim he could trick into buying some very expensive personal services.

Zack felt so enchanted by the guy that he barely even registered the music fading away, which also meant that the performance was coming into its end. Many of the Honeybees approached the tables, chatting up the customers in an attempt to seduce them. On the opposite side of the table Kunsel was pretty much already wrapped around a Honeygirl’s pinky, her hand squeezing on his arm while she was whispering into his ear.

“Hey.”

Zack jumped, just a little, at the greeting and he quickly turned his head to see the Honeyboy standing right there with a shy smile on his face. The guy was even more adorable up close and even if the whole shyness was an act, Zack was without a doubt falling for it. “Oh, hey,” he breathed out, his lips spreading into a wide smile.

The Honeyboy’s lips twitched and he leaned closer. “I hope you had a fun time with us tonight,” he said in a soft voice and, yeah, that definitely sounded like it was from some script they were all given. “Did anyone happen to catch your eye? I can help you out if you want to make an appointment for anyone specific.”

Chuckling, Zack met the guy’s eyes. “Well, you definitely did stand out back there,” he said truthfully, feeling an itching sensation of wanting to pull the guy into his lap and start kissing him. “I think you stumbled a bit though.”

Now Zack could clearly see that there was a blush growing on the Honeyboy’s cheeks and he was just a little bit pleased with himself. “I thought no one would have noticed,” he explained and nervously fiddled with his tie. “I hope no one else did.” The boy paused for a moment, visibly seeming hesitant to continue, “If you’d like, would you like to— I mean, um, do you want to...”

“Cloud!” The Honeybee’s head shot up and turned around to face the direction of the voice. There was an another Honeygirl approaching the table, or the boy to be specific. “Andi wants to see you. He said it’s urgent.”

The Honeyboy, whose name appeared to be Cloud, tensed up but straightened himself slowly. “I’ll be right there,” he said, his lips turning into a pout. “I’m sorry. I hope you’ll enjoy your time here,” he quickly offered to Zack before hurrying off to see ‘Andi’, who ever that was.

The girl still remained by the table and rested a hand on her hip as she giggled in an annoyingly high pitch. “I’m sorry for taking sweet little Cloudy away from you,” she said and winked. “He’s new around here so the boss is a bit over-protective. But if you’d like, you can make an appointment with him at the front desk, or you can take your pick from any of the other Honeyboys and girls!”

The awfully cheery tone was clearly faked but that didn’t stop Zack from considering the suggestion of making an appointment with Cloud. Maybe he was being an idiot and getting tricked, but part of him was curious to meet him again.

If it hadn’t been for Luxiere deciding on ordering several rounds of drinks for their group, Zack might have actually done it. After way too many drinks he had been barely able to drag himself out of the place with his own two feet, and the idea of making a reservation had completely slipped from his mind.

But if he found himself masturbating to thoughts of blue eyes and blond hair upon returning to his room, he wouldn’t have remembered it the next day in his hangover.

The following days Zack found his mind drifting back to that night regularly. Part of him wanted to head back down to the Wall Market to make that appointment but much to his disappointment, or relief, he didn’t have any time to make extra trips to under the plate. When he finally got sent on a mission away from Midgar, Zack was more than happy to get away from the temptation, even if those bright blue eyes never did leave his mind.

The mission didn’t even last for a week but Zack was dead tired when he finally returned, even after somehow sleeping in the transportation vehicle the whole way back to Shinra Headquarters. He would have loved nothing more than to collapse on top of his bed and sleep until next week, or to take a shower before doing the collapsing.

However, he knew he had to take care of things first, like to write up a report on his mission. It shouldn’t have been a huge job at least but Zack knew he couldn’t do it on an empty stomach. After being stuck with field rations for a better part of the week he was craving for something proper to eat, not for whatever they served at the mess on most days, and there was an amazing pizza place in Sector Eight not too far from the Shinra HQ.

The street was fairly quiet as Zack stepped out of the main entrance. It was the middle of the day anyway, with most people at work, so it shouldn’t have been any surprise. There was a couple of kids further away from Zack but he could pretty much see their eyes glittering upon spotting a SOLDIER, and a First Class, no less. It was a pretty normal occurence to have them hanging around, just to get a glimpse of the famed SOLDIERs.

Zack gave them a small wave before continuing towards the pizza place, his grumbling stomach reminding him of his hunger. He picked up his pace and could almost taste the melting cheese and tomato sauce on his lips. He would have had to just turn around the corner and he would have been there.

If only he hadn’t spotted a familiar messy head of blond hair straight ahead of him, he would have gotten that pizza.

It was like the scene at the Honeybee Inn all over again, except there was no flashy lights or booming music. Cloud’s eyes were on his phone as he was fiddling with it, his brows furrowed and lips pursed into a small pout. Zack’s eyes were glued on him once again, his heart skipping a beat or two.

His legs moved as if on their own and ran to the Cloud’s side of the road. Without thinking Zack’s hand placed on his shoulder, startling him.

Looking up, his eyes widened in surprise and hopefully recognition, with just a hint of panic in them. His cheeks were slowly turning redder and redder, and judging by the look on his face Zack had to wonder if he was about to bolt off somewhere. “I—” he started as his eyes flicked down to Zack’s body, clearly making a note of the SOLDIER uniform. “Have I done something wrong, sir? I was just messaging my friend,” he said casually, and it was like all emotion was out of his eyes once they looked back up.

“It’s Cloud, right?” Zack said, his hand still resting on Cloud’s shoulder. “From the Honeybee Inn? I was there last week with a group of guys.”

Cloud sighed loudly and pulled away from Zack’s hold, crossing his arms. “Look, buddy, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said firmly and took another step back. “I wouldn’t be caught dead in a place like the Honeybee Inn. And just an advice, but if you made the mistake of falling for some Honeyboy there, don’t. It’s all a lie and your feelings aren’t reciprocated. They just want your money.”

“That’s a pretty cold hearted way to say it, isn’t it?” Zack chuckled, placing his hands on his hips as he shook his head. “Did you know that there’s a guy who looks just like you working at the Honeybee Inn though. You could be twins!” his tone was just on the edge of sarcasm, considering that he wasn’t buying Cloud’s act.

“I assure you, you’re definitely mistaken,” Cloud deadpanned. “I’m waiting for a friend, so maybe you could— ”

Cloud wasn’t even able to finish his sentence when a dark haired girl pretty much jumped on him from behind, her arm hooking around his neck. “Cloud! Sorry I kept you waiting!” she said, and that name pretty much cleared out the fact that this was the Honeyboy and not some random lookalike that Zack just happened to be bothering. The girl’s reddish-brown eyes looked up to Zack and she tilted her head curiously. “A SOLDIER? Friend of yours from Shinra?”

“It’s fine, Tifa,” Cloud huffed as he pushed her arm away, glancing at Zack quickly before he turned back to the girl, Tifa, with a frown. “He was just saying hi. We should get going, I’m starving.” Cloud was already pushing Tifa away from Zack, obviously eager to get away from him.

“See you later, _Cloud_ ,” Zack put emphasis on the name, waving goodbye

Tifa gave a few more glances back towards Zack as they were walking away. “Hey, isn’t he the guy you have a poster of on your wall?” she asked, probably louder than she had intended it, considering that Cloud hushed her with a cry of her name. 

It definitely raised several questions in Zack’s mind. He had been forced to do a photoshoot for some recruitment posters when he had been promoted to First Class but there was no reason for Cloud to have one. He had barely seen any of those anyway, most of the posters around had some of the more popular SOLDIERs, like Sephiroth or Genesis.

For a moment Zack considered chasing Cloud down but his grumbling stomach protesting the lack of pizza got the best of him. At least he knew where to find Cloud, if he ever wanted to get answers to the poster comment.

Only if making an appointment to see Cloud at the Honeybee Inn wouldn’t have been such a hard thing to do. Despite the obvious implications of having a person’s poster on one’s wall, Zack was hesitant due to Cloud’s attitude on their second meeting. He didn’t want to be pushing any boundaries or making Cloud uncomfortable, especially when he didn’t consider himself to be one of those guys who couldn’t understand a simple ‘no’.

Conflicted but determined to get things cleared up, Zack headed down to the Sector Six slums when he finally had the freetime. It was a weekday, so even the Inn seemed to be fairly quiet and there was no show scheduled for the night. At least to Zack’s luck the guy at the front desk had said that Cloud was working tonight, and was free for a reservation.

Though there would have been an option for a private room, Zack decided that he was fine with just sitting in the club area. He didn’t want Cloud to get any wrong ideas anyway, and Zack assumed he would be more comfortable with other people around.

This was just to clarify things, after all, and Zack had already decided that he would leave if Cloud asked him to.

The minutes Zack spent waiting seemed to last an eternity, and his heart wouldn’t stop beating wildly in his chest. His leg bounced up and down impatiently, halting only once he saw a familiar figure approaching his table. “Cloud,” the name came off of his lips gentle and hopeful, despite the frown Cloud seemed to have on his face. A small smirk spread on Zack’s lips and he attempted to joke to lighten up Cloud’s mood, “I thought you wouldn’t be caught dead in a place like this.”

Cloud rolled his eyes in response as he placed a beer on top of the table. “Shouldn’t you be back at the barracks? It can’t be good reputation for Shinra if a First Class SOLDIER like you hangs around in an establishment like this.”

“Come on, I’m not anywhere near famous enough for anyone to recognize me out of uniform,” Zack assured and reached for the beer. “Besides, it isn’t Shinra’s business what I do on my freetime.”

The expression on Cloud’s face seemed to be puzzled but he slowly moved to slide into the booth with Zack. He kept a noticeable distance between them however, probably still a wary of him but Zack saw it as progress. “So why did you want to see me? I wasn’t exactly nice to you the last time we met,” he said, his eyes downcast with lips pressed into a thin line. Zack wondered if Cloud actually felt bad about his behavior, or if he was just nervous.

Zack leaned back on his seat, humming in thought. “I don’t know, I guess I was just curious,” he said. Of course there was still the subject of a certain poster Zack wanted to approach but he figured now was not the right moment.

Cloud took a deep breath, and looked up with a firm expression. “I’m sorry, for being like that,” he offered as his body inched closer to Zack on instinct. “It was a knee-jerk reaction because I didn’t expect anyone coming up to me in the street like that, let alone _you_. I freaked out and—” he paused, searching for the right words, “I didn’t want you to get the wrong image of me because of my work.”

“What?” Zack breathed out, staring stupidly at Cloud. “Why would I get a wrong image of you? I mean, this is just work.” Zack was an idiot when it came to a lot of things but he had never been one to judge people because of such shallow things. If anything, Zack could be a bit too trusting at times, but he personally didn’t see it as a weakness. “Does that mean you’re not mad at me for coming here?”

Surprised by the question, Cloud stared at Zack for a long moment before he had to avoid his gaze. “I… am not against to having you around,” he said hesitantly, fingers fiddling with the buttons of his waistcoat. Eventually he did peek up again shyly, his blue eyes shadowed by his long eyelashes. He was chewing on his lower lip, as if he was worried about how Zack would react.

“Fuck, you’re adorable,” Zack blurted out without even thinking about it. Cloud gaped at the compliment and for a moment there, Zack wondered if he had just stopped working altogether or if his brain had crashed like a program. Even if he hadn’t meant to voice his attraction to the poor guy like that, he had still meant it without a doubt.

“I’m not adorable,” Cloud finally said, and Gods, the even more adorable look he had on his face now was close to illegal.

Zack slid his arm behind Cloud on the seat and he leaned closer to his personal space. He made sure to leave enough room for Cloud to pull away if he wanted to though, not wanting to make him feel like he had to endure with Zack’s advances just because of his job. “You are so fucking adorable. It’s hard to resist you, you know?”

Cloud wasn’t pulling away at least yet and Zack was pretty sure he was leaning closer to him as well, though it could have been his hopeful imagination as well. “You’re an idiot,” he said in a pretty affectionate tone of voice. “A SOLDIER like you could have pretty much anyone, yet here you are trying to hit on a Honeybee out of all people. I still could be after your money.”

Zack laughed at Cloud’s words, shaking his head. “Oh, you’re a lot easier to read than you think,” he said, “Your expressions basically reveal whatever you are feeling, which is also why you are so adorable.”

Trying to escape his embarrassment Cloud attempted to bury his blushing face into the cushions with a groan.Only with Zack’s arm resting on the backrest of the couch, Cloud’s face was partly pressed against it and the physical contact made Zack grin widely. “You make it so easy to tease you, too,” he whispered into Cloud’s ear and blew on it lightly, making him yelp in surprise.

“Oh my Gods, Zack,” Cloud said and turned his head to look at Zack with a deep frown. “You’re horrible.” His words had no bite or malice, and there was a sweet little smile on his lips. To Zack it seemed to be more than genuine and he could have been admiring it through the rest of the night if it wasn’t for Cloud leaning in and pressing their lips together.

The kiss was chaste and light. Cloud didn’t linger for too long, and Zack was too surprised to even react. “O-Oh, wow,” Zack whispered as Cloud pulled back.

“I do hope that’s a good wow,” Cloud laughed and somehow he seemed to be a little bit more relaxed.

Zack liked it, and it allowed him to be more forward as well. Or at least he assumed so as he wrapped an arm around Cloud’s shoulders so he could pull him closer to himself. “It’s a very good wow. Better than that, actually,” he promised, kissing Cloud’s cheek lightly. “I was just surprised, that’s all.”

“So you can’t read me as well as you think,” Cloud decided smugly. “I am full of surprises.”

“That you are,” Zack agreed and ran fingers through Cloud’s hair, playing with the spikes.

They shared a few more kisses, not much deeper than the first one, and Zack melted into them. Somehow Cloud ended pressed up against Zack’s side as a result of their light makeout session, Zack’s arms wrapped around Cloud’s waist tightly. It was almost as cliched as like a spell had been cast on them, making them forget everything around them. At least until Zack felt a vibration in his pocket and he had to pull away from Cloud enough to check his phone, breaking the spell.

It was only one of Kunsel’s rambling, mundane texts with no point but while he checked it, Zack’s eyes drifted to the top corner of his screen where the time was showing. “Oh, fuck,” he cursed, starting to reluctantly peel himself away from Cloud.

“Is everything alright?” Cloud asked, doing that cute pout as Zack stood up.

It made Zack’s heart ache but he knew he had to head back to the headquarters, considering that he didn’t actually have a leave the next day. “The last train up to the plate is leaving in half an hour,” he explained sheepishly. 

By the look on Cloud’s face, he didn’t seem to realize it either how late it actually was, and he gave a small nod. “Can I have your phone for a moment?” he asked as he extended his arm towards Zack, his palm facing upwards.

Zack lifted his brow at Cloud but gave him the phone, watching him type something on it before getting up, standing less than a meter away from Zack. “My number,” he said and placed the phone back into Zack’s hands. “So you don’t have to come bother me at work the next time you want to see me.” Cloud’s tone was teasing and he had to stand up on his tiptoes to give Zack a kiss on the cheek while they were standing up. “Now hurry up and go, so you won’t have to sleep in a ditch somewhere.”

“Aw, you wouldn’t let me sleep at your place if I missed my train?” Zack asked as me made his best puppy eyes, only earning an eye roll in response as Cloud shoved him towards the door lightly

“No. Now go,” Cloud said firmly.

Zack chuckled and stole one last kiss from Cloud. “I’ll see you later,” he whispered tenderly, forcing his legs to move out of the building.

It took around twenty minutes to walk from the Inn to the nearest train station. With a few minutes to spare before the train would arrive, Zack decided to send Cloud a message. He tried writing and rewriting the text several times, trying not to sound too dorky or eager or whatever. He eventually settled on a simple _‘Hey, it’s Zack.’_ just before the screeching breaks of the train signalled its arrival to the platform.

After a few minutes Zack began to worry when there didn’t seem to come any reply from Cloud. What if he had been accidentally given a wrong number, or if Cloud was already having second doubts about him. Maybe Zack hadn’t even given his name on their previous meetings, at least he couldn’t recall bringing it up at any point and there hadn’t been any chances for him to introduce himself.

 _‘You know, the guy who you just gave your number to. I don’t think I ever actually gave you my name.’_ he sent the second text just in case before he slid the phone into his pocket, trying to ignore how the little device seemed to be pressing heavy against his thigh just by its presence.

Zack didn’t feel a vibration in his pocket until he had finally reached his room in the Shinra HQ. He was probably faster than a thundaga taking the phone out and unlocking it, a wide smile spreading on his lips when he saw the notification with Cloud’s name on it.

_‘I know who you are, Zack. Sorry I couldn’t respond earlier, I had left my phone in the dressing room.’_

Grinning to himself, Zack fell on his bed as he stared at the text. _‘Don’t worry about it. Did you get off work already?’_

This time the reply came almost right away. _‘Yep. I’m on my way home right now. I can’t wait to get into bed.’_

_‘That tired, huh? I’m not going to bother you any longer tonight then. Good night, Cloud.’_

_‘Good night, Zack.’_

Their texts started off slowly, each side taking an hour or two to reply on average. But they did get more frequent as the time passed and they got to know each other better. Zack made an effort to reply to Cloud whenever he could, and if Cloud wasn’t working, he seemed to return the sentiment by replying often.

When Zack was assigned on a mission out of Midgar, he had to reluctantly admit to himself that he wouldn’t be able to keep in contact with Cloud as often. He couldn’t afford to be distracted on field, it would put his team and the mission in danger, so he had to limit his texts to Cloud to a minimum.

Cloud was of course understanding and sweet when Zack told him about it, but part of Zack hoped that Cloud was just as disappointed as he was. The mission was going to be torturous without their conversations and even if the idea was slightly sadistic, the thought that Cloud was suffering with him made things at least a little bit better.

Zack limited his texting to only mornings and evenings, which made their exchanged messages longer when they tried to condense whole day’s worth of messages to just a few. As the mission seeped into a second week, Zack felt almost starved for more contact. It was a huge relief when they got everything wrapped up before the end of the week, and Zack sent an excited message to Cloud as soon as he could, letting him know that he was coming back to Midgar the following morning.

Zack didn’t expect Cloud to reply immediately, considering that it was the early evening and he was working on most nights, but the phone buzzed almost right away. Zack’s heart pretty much jumped to his throat reading the message, and suddenly tomorrow could not come soon enough.

_‘I’m not working tomorrow. Do you want to come over?’_

It was Zack’s first time in the Sector Seven slums. He had never made many trips below the plate, and most of the time it had been to the church in Sector Five to see Aerith, back when they had been dating. But that relationship had diminished into just close friends eventually, and Zack’s visits had become more infrequent.

Of course Aerith would always chide Zack about it and he still did his best to make time for her, it just wasn’t as much of a priority to him anymore.

Zack wondered if his time spent with Aerith would grow even rarer, with Cloud in the picture now. They didn’t have a label on this budding relationship of theirs but he could tell he was already acting different than with Aerith, putting more effort into staying in contact even if with Cloud it didn’t feel as much of an effort. The need to be close to Cloud was natural, and something Zack had never experienced before.

Cloud’s apartment building was small but it had a certain charm to it. Zack politely greeted the older woman living in the first floor apartment as he passed her, Cloud had mentioned that she was his landlady, and made his way up to the second floor. The stairs creaked underneath his feet with each step, which had most likely informed Cloud of Zack’s arrival because he was already waiting with his front door open once Zack reached the floor.

“Hey,” Cloud said, leaning against the door frame with a small smile on his lips. “I was starting to wonder if you would show up at all.”

Zack chuckled, crossing the distance between them. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” he assured, hands placing on Cloud’s hips as he leaned in to kiss him sweetly. “Especially after I was thinking about doing this for the whole time I was on that mission.”

Biting on his lip, Cloud tugged Zack into his apartment by the lapels of his leather jacket. “It’s been pure torture waiting for your texts,” he admitted and reached past Zack to close the door behind them before making room to let Zack into the apartment properly. “Make yourself comfortable, even if it isn’t much.”

The place definitely was small, barely bigger than Zack’s room back at Shinra HQ. Not that it mattered, Zack didn’t care where they were as long as he could spend time with Cloud. He took a seat on top of Cloud’s bed, eyes scanning around until they landed on a closet door that was halfway open. Zack could see some poster taped to the inside of the door but he didn’t get a proper look at it before Cloud slammed the door shut.

“D-Do you need something to drink?” he offered, and Zack wondered if he could see a hint of blush on Cloud’s cheeks.

“No, I’m fine,” Zack said, his eyes narrowed as he looked at Cloud. He was blocking the closet with his body, leaning back against the door. “Are you hiding something from me?”

Cloud’s face pretty much flushed brighter red and his widened just slightly. “What? Me? N-No.” It was obvious that there was something in the closet and Zack stood up to approach Cloud slowly. “There’s nothing. W-Why would I hide anything from you?”

“Mhm,” Zack hummed as he pressed Cloud against the closet door, pretty much pinning him against it. “Remember how I said that your expressions pretty much reveal everything?” he reminded. He licked his lips before kissing Cloud, not going all the way with a tongue but still hungrier than their chaste kisses until now. He used Cloud’s surprise to move him out of the way, managing to pull the closet open with a victorious yell, “Aha!”

Inside, there was one of Shinra’s recruitment posters. A very familiar one at that, considering it was Zack on it, from that one super awkward photoshoot he had been forced to do. “That’s me,” he said stupidly as he stared at his own smiling face. Those words Cloud’s friend Tifa had said all those weeks ago returned to Zack’s mind, and of course it made sense now.

“I know,” Cloud said quietly, and Zack could pretty much _hear_ how madly he was blushing. “I promise I’m not a stalker,” he tried to joke.

Zack turned his head to face Cloud, seeing him staring at his feet with a lot of intensity. “Cloud,” Zack said softly as he pulled the guy back into his arms. “I’m not mad at you, alright?” he assured and kissed the corner of Cloud’s lips. “I’m just pretty surprised. This is definitely one of the last places where I expected to see that poster.”

“One of my squadmates stole it for me as a joke, back when I was an infantryman,” Cloud admitted hesitantly, “I was in the Shinra army, for a while, and I guess… you could say that I was a fan of yours.”

Zack was stunned and he stared down at Cloud with his mouth hanging open. “You were a fan of mine?” he repeated, “Not Sephiroth or Angeal or Genesis? Me?”

Cloud’s lips pressed into a thin line and he did a small, barely noticeable nod. “With a huge crush on you, too,” he added. “The guys used to tease me all the time about it. You were cool and popular with everyone, and we really didn’t have handsome guys like you in Nibelheim when I was growing up.”

“Unfortunately for you, all the hot guys were in Gongaga,” Zack joked as he ran fingers through Cloud’s hair and kissed the tip of his nose. “So did that crush include some dirty thoughts?” he asked with a smirk as he sneaked hands underneath the hoodie Cloud was wearing, exploring the soft skin there.

“Zack!” Cloud huffed and looked up with a deep frown, slowly turning redder. “You can’t ask something like that!”

“Oh?” Zack tugged Cloud along, slowly backing towards the bed while his lips found Cloud’s. This time he really went all in with it, his tongue licking into Cloud’s mouth as the back of his legs hit the edge of the bed. “It’s so cute when you get embarrassed though,” he laughed, gently turning Cloud around so he could sit him down on the bed. 

“Why do you always call me cute?” Cloud groaned, biting on his lip. “I’m not cute.”

If Cloud had any more protests to voice, they were drowned by Zack’s kisses. It was hard to resist those soft lips, and the little gasps and moans escaping Cloud in between the short seconds they were apart only encouraged Zack to go further.

Without a second thought, Zack pushed Cloud against the sheets and slotted himself between his legs. His cock was starting to push against the fabric of his underwear and jeans, and he couldn’t help the gasp of relief as his hardening erection pressed against Cloud’s hip. “You want this, right?” he breathed out, his Mako blue eyes shining brighter with lust.

“Zack,” Cloud said in a warning tone, “Don’t you dare to stop. Gods, I’ve been fantasizing about this for so long.”

Sliding his hands underneath Cloud’s hoodie once again, Zack explored the lean muscles slowly. “Yeah? So you _have_ been having dirty thoughts about me?” he asked in a low voice, his cock twitching at the mental image of Cloud masturbating to him. He wondered if Cloud looked at that poster while he came all over his hand, if he moaned Zack’s name as he became undone. “Have you been fingering your ass while thinking about me fucking you?”

Judging by the loud moan Cloud made in response, Zack assumed that he had guessed right and he licked his lips before continuing, “Can’t wait to be inside you, fuck,” he groaned as his fingertips brushed over Cloud’s nipples, feeling them stand up with a bit of teasing. “I’ll fuck you so good, baby,” he purred, biting back a smug smirk as he earned another moan out of Cloud.

Cloud pushed Zack’s hands away so he could get rid of his own hoodie, revealing his pale skin and lightly freckled shoulders. His nipples were cute, small, and bright pink and Zack had to resist the urge to just lean down and suck on them. “You’re wearing too much,” Cloud whined as he started pushing Zack’s leather jacket down his arms. “I want to feel your skin.”

“Yeah, yeah. Someone is being needy,” Zack teased as he threw the jacket somewhere on the floor, his t-shirt following soon after. He leaned down to claim Cloud’s lips into a hungry kiss and nibbled on his lower lip. He could feel Cloud touching all over his chest, eager fingers trailing lower on his body until reaching his jeans and belt.

When those slender fingers slid into Zack’s underwear and wrapped around his length, Zack groaned and bucked into Cloud’s hand. “You’re big,” Cloud gasped, his hand slowly stroking the cock up and down. Zack nestled his face in the crook of Cloud’s neck, rolling his hips into each stroke and muttering a flood of praises. “Have you jerked off thinking of me?” Cloud asked and turned his head to nip on Zack’s earlobe, his breath hot against it.

“And what if I have?” Zack said breathlessly, “Your Honeybee uniform definitely does your ass justice. Couldn’t get you out of my head ever since that first night.”

Zack’s lips trailed along Cloud’s neck and down to his collarbones and chest. His teeth grazed teasingly across the skin, and his lips sucked hickeys wherever he could. He glanced up to see Cloud looking right back at him with his blue eyes almost turned black by his lust-blown pupils. “There’s lube in the box under the bed,” he said, licking his lips. “I need you, Zack.”

Not able to stop himself from thrusting into Cloud’s hand, Zack let out a low growl. “Got it,” he said, and regrettably he had to pull away from Cloud to dig under the bed blindly. Once his hand brushed against the box, grabbing the lube was easy enough and Zack straightened himself as he popped open the cap. “Get rid of those jeans, baby,” he encouraged.

Cloud didn’t need to be told twice, and by the time Zack had lube poured onto his fingers, Cloud was already adding his jeans and underwear to the growing pile of clothes on the floor. “I’m ready,” he said and spread his legs for Zack again, his nervousness obvious with his wide eyes and pink cheeks.

“I’ll take care of you, sweetheart,” Zack assured, pressing light kisses along Cloud’s jaw as his slicked up fingers circled Cloud’s hole. He pressed only one finger in at first, figuring that he should take it slowly when they were only getting to know each other’s bodies. “Just let me know if it feels uncomfortable, yeah?”

Whimpering, Cloud nodded and wrapped his arms tightly around Zack’s neck to pull him more tightly to himself. “Y-You can add fingers,” he assured, “I’m used to this.”

“Oh, are you?” Zack was surprised to hear Cloud admit it but he wasn’t going to deny him what he wanted or needed, and added a second finger, soon followed by a third. He took his time finding all the right places inside of Cloud, making sure to watch even the smallest changes to the guy’s expression as he tried to locate his prostate. 

“Oh, Gods!” Cloud moaned loudly suddenly, and Zack knew he found the right spot. Smirking, he rubbed the tips of his fingers against that spot as he sucked and nibbled on the skin of Cloud’s shoulders and neck. “Oh, fuck, right there, Zack!”

The moans were basically music to Zack’s ears and he could have continued fingering Cloud through the whole night, but he knew there was still the main event waiting for them. Regrettably Zack had to pull out his fingers and push down his pants to finally release his waiting cock. He spread the remnants of lube on his fingers onto his length, groaning when he got some well deserved relief to the aching hardness again. “Want me to fuck you?”

Cloud looked at Zack with half lidded eyes, his chest raising and lowering with each breath that escaped his kiss-swollen lips. “Zack-” he whined and attempted to glower at Zack. It definitely wasn’t working in this situation, with Cloud’s legs spread wide and his hard cock curved against his lower stomach.

“You have to tell me if you want it, baby,” Zack said, a hundred percent just teasing Cloud to try and see if he could get him to beg for a cock in his ass.

“Asshole,” Cloud pouted, biting on his lower lip as he looked up at Zack pleadingly.

And maybe Zack couldn’t have said no to that face, _and just maybe_ that expression went straight down to Zack’s cock. Zack would have liked to try coaxing Cloud just a little bit longer, but he didn’t know how much longer he could wait himself. “Fine. I’m going to make you say it later though,” he promised as he grabbed Cloud’s legs, pushing them wider apart.

“We’ll see about that. Just because I’m the bottom doesn’t mean I’m going to let you push me around,” Cloud shot back with a smirk, reaching a hand behind Zack’s neck to pull him in for a demanding kiss. His free hand sneaked down to wrap around Zack’s cock once again, stroking him teasingly.

“Fuck, Cloud,” Zack gasped against Cloud’s lips. “That just makes me want to hear you say it twice as much.”

He earned a huff out of Cloud but it was soon replaced by a surprised moan thanks to Zack lining himself up against Cloud’s hole and slowly pushing in. The tightness around his cock made Zack moan loudly as well, and he had to hold himself back from just thrusting all the way in. “So good, baby,” Zack purred.

Cloud’s back arched, his eyes fluttering shut. “Gods,” he gasped and rolled his hips once Zack was all the way inside of him. “You feel even bigger than you look. Fuck.”

“Need me to go slow?” Zack asked with a worried tone, still not moving as he wanted to give Cloud time to get adjusted to the intrusion. There was still a part of him that felt pleased at the comment, and he wondered if any other guys had ever seen Cloud like this.

Arms slid around Zack’s shoulders as Cloud shook his head quickly. “Not my first chocobo race, don’t worry,” he attempted to joke, as if he had known what Zack had been thinking about. “Go as hard as you can. I’m not fragile.”

“Yes, sir,” Zack did a small mock salute before he started slowly pulling out, only the tip left inside before he thrust back in. Usually he would have started off slow but he was feeling impatient, and he trusted Cloud enough to say if it was getting too much. His pace built up fairly quickly, his hands grabbing Cloud’s hips to change the angle.

Cloud pulled his legs higher up with the small change of position, wrapping them around Zack’s waist as he slammed into him hard. “Gods, just like that,” he whimpered as his hand sneaked between them, touching his own cock eagerly. His hips rolled in time with Zack’s thrusts, trying to get his cock deeper into him. “D-Deeper, please…”

Zack leaned down as he fucked into Cloud, kissing him sloppily. He could feel Cloud’s ass squeezing around his cock, getting him closer and closer to his orgasm.

“I’m close—” Cloud moaned against Zack’s lips, encouraging him to go faster and harder.

With few more thrusts Zack was coming into Cloud, and he rode through his orgasm as his thrusts got more erratic. He replaced Cloud’s hand with his own on his cock, jerking him off to help him come as well. Cloud’s arms moved around Zack’s neck and his blunt nails dug into his back. “Go ahead, you can let go,” Zack assured as he kissed Cloud again, softer this time.

Cloud moaned into Zack’s mouth as he came, his cum spilling on top of his stomach.

They took a moment to catch their breaths before Zack shifted them around, getting on his back while Cloud rested on top comfortably. “Wow,” he breathed out as he collapsed back on the bed, reaching for the blankets to pull them up on top of both of them.

Zack could feel the cum between their bodies drying slowly, and the whole room smelled of sweat and sex. A shower would have been a very welcome idea but Zack couldn’t bother with it, his limp muscles protesting any kind of movement. At least he had Cloud in his arms, nuzzling sleepily against his chest. Gods know how many moments they just laid there, Zack’s eyes staring at the ceiling as his mind wandered.

“Cloud? Can I ask you a question?” he asked eventually as his fingers trailed along the knots of Cloud’s spine.

The reply was basically just a fatigued groan but Cloud lifted his head reluctantly, his eyes still barely open. “What is it?” he asked, tilting his head.

“Why aren’t you in the Shinra military anymore?”

The pained expression that suddenly washed over Cloud’s face spoke far more than any words could. “Some things happened,” he said quietly and turned his head to its side to avoid Zack’s gaze. “I messed up on a mission and it cost lives. My commanding officer demanded for me to be discharged as a punishment.”

“That’s rather harsh, isn’t it?” Zack grimaced as his hand slid higher and buried in Cloud’s hair. “I’m sorry that it happened, it doesn’t seem fair to you at all.”

Cloud did a weak shrug as he closed his eyes. “It doesn’t matter anymore. I missed my chance at becoming a SOLDIER anyway. I don’t think staying in the infantry would have made any difference.”

Zack’s heart ached, hearing the bitterness in Cloud’s voice, and he regretted bringing the subject up. “I’m sorry,” he said again, and kissed the top of Cloud’s head, taking in a slow breath of his scent. “We should sleep. You look like you’re about to pass out at any moment now,” he said, clumsily steering away from the awkward topic.

“Mmh, sleep sounds amazing,” Cloud chuckled despite the hint of pain still lingering in the tone.

As if on command, Zack yawned and he wriggled a little to make himself more comfortable, his arms settling around Cloud’s waist. “Good night, Cloud,” he muttered with a lazy smile on his lips.

The reply he got out of Cloud was almost unintelligible, but Zack could assume that it was something akin to a ‘good night’. It was almost a talent to fall asleep this quickly but Zack didn’t mind watching Cloud as his breathing slowed down and he cuddled even closer, if it was even possible.

It was a rare bliss to wake up slowly with no interruptions. Shinra HQ was a busy building and if Zack was lucky enough to even have a day off, he was usually still woken up early by any of his fellow SOLDIERs or annoying announcements that came through the speakers.

None of those were at Cloud’s apartment though, and the apartment owner in question was still sleeping soundly on top of Zack’s chest right where he had been the previous night. He looked so peaceful and happy like that, his arms wrapped around Zack’s middle to make sure that he wasn’t going anywhere.

Zack wouldn’t have moved anywhere if it wouldn’t have been for a knock on the door. It didn’t seem to stir Cloud at all, and he didn’t show any signs of waking up even as Zack shook him. “Cloud, the door,” he said softly, but Cloud only mumbled something in his sleep and nuzzled Zack’s chest.

After a third set of knocks, Zack sighed deeply and began untangling himself from the octopus also known as Cloud. It took him a moment for him to locate his underwear from the pile of clothes on the floor, and he stretched his muscles as he dragged himself over to the door.

“Finally!” came a huff as Zack unlocked the door. “You really need to learn to—” Tifa trailed off when she saw that it wasn’t Cloud opening the door, her mouth gaping open in her surprise. 

“Sorry, I tried to get Cloud up but he refused to budge. I barely got myself out of his hold,” Zack laughed and leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms. “Did you need him for anything? I can try again if you’d like me to?”

Tifa was still speechless, her mouth hanging open as she shook her head quickly. “I… no, it’s fine,” she assured quickly. “Can you just send him over to the bar when he wakes up? It’s nothing urgent though.”

Zack nodded and smiled brightly at Tifa. “Sure thing,”

“Right. Great. Thanks,” she muttered and fiddled with her hair. “I’ll be going then. Um, sorry for waking you up.”

She ran off before Zack had chance to even say goodbye, and he just worried that he hadn’t scared her off. As he returned to Cloud, he found him buried under the covers to escape from the bright light shining through the window. “Cloud,” Zack said as he once more tried to shake him awake. 

“5 minutes,” Cloud groaned and moved under the blanket, probably to curl up into an even smaller ball.

Chuckling affectionately and rolling his eyes, Zack peeled the blanket off of Cloud enough to reveal his messy hair that was pointing in pretty much every direction. “Somehow I have a feeling that no amount of sleep is going to get you up,” he huffed before he pushed his hands underneath Cloud’s cocoon, wriggling his hand around until he found Cloud’s ribs.

A loud shriek of laughter filled the apartment when Zack began tickling Cloud, making sure not to let him escape despite Cloud’s attempts of trying to wriggle away from Zack’s hands. “Nooooo—” he whined, trying to smack Zack on the face, and he would have succeeded if Zack didn’t have his SOLDIER reflexes.

“Are you awake now?” Zack asked when he finally let Cloud out of his misery, grinning brightly as he pulled his hands back. 

“Yes, unfortunately.” Cloud was glaring up at Zack with almost murderous intent, a look Zack probably shouldn’t have found as adorable as he did. “I’ll forgive you if you buy me coffee as an apology,” he demanded, arms crossing over his chest. The look on his face was still angry but Zack was pretty sure he could see a hint of smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

“I guess I have no choice,” Zack chuckled, pecking Cloud lightly before he pulled back to hunt down the rest of his clothes from the pile on the floor. “Your friend dropped by, the dark haired girl?” he said casually, glancing at Cloud as he pulled up his jeans. “She said that she needed you at the bar. I guess you know where that is?”

Cloud blinked, and stared at Zack for a long moment. “Tifa came by?” he said stupidly and his face seemed to turn a shade pinker. “Did she say anything else?”

“...No, not really. She seemed to be surprised by me being here and then she just kind of escaped,” Zack shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “Sorry, did I mess up? Would you have preferred if she didn’t know about us?” he asked hesitantly, worried that he had upset Cloud.

Standing up, Cloud closed the short distance between them and wrapped his arms around Zack’s neck. “No, you didn’t do anything wrong,” he assured, and that small hint of a smile turned into an actual proper smile. “You’re perfect. Fuck, last night was amazing. I really hope it won’t be just a one time thing.”

“It won’t,” Zack promised right away, his heart beating faster with the close proximity to Cloud, paired with his sweet words. “You’re not going to get rid of me easily.”

Could chuckled and stole another kiss from Zack before he pulled back to get dressed as well. “We can drop by the bar to see what Tifa needs me for and then you can take me to Sector Eight for an overly expensive coffee?” he suggested, a playful glint in his eyes as he looked at Zack. “That is, if you have time for it?”

Even if Zack didn’t have the whole day free, he wouldn’t have had the heart to say no with the way Cloud was looking at him “I have the time,” he said.

“Then we should hurry. I’m in a dire need of some caffeine in my system but I know Tifa would kill me if I didn’t help her out first.” Once he was dressed, Cloud slid his hand into Zack’s and laced their fingers together, giving a gentle squeeze.

“Sounds good. Just lead the way,” he agreed, unable to hold back a wide smile from his lips.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's it! Thank you for reading! :)
> 
> I did plan on adding a lot more details on Cloud's life before the events of this fic but I wasn't able to fit it in without making it a boring information dump lol. I'm kind of playing with the idea of making another fic from Cloud's point of view so if that's something you'd be interested in reading, please let me know!
> 
> Of course any comments are more than welcome and please do leave a kudos if you enjoyed reading my fic!  
> You can also find me on twitter at [Ches_Art](https://twitter.com/Ches_Art/)


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